How to Evolve Chinchou

Chinchou evolves into Lanturn automatically upon reaching Level 27. There are no special items, trading requirements, or time-of-day conditions needed. You simply need to gain experience through battles, EXP Candies, or Rare Candies until it hits Level 27 to trigger the evolution sequence.

Evolving Chinchou is a straightforward process across the mainline series. The Pokémon reaches its evolutionary threshold at exactly Level 27. You do not need to hunt for a Water Stone or a Thunder Stone, nor do you need to worry about friendship levels.

However, before pushing for that level-up, you must consider its competitive value. In the Smogon SV LC (Little Cup) tier, Chinchou boasts a massive 19.9% usage rate. Evolving it removes it from this tier entirely.

Equipped with an eviolite, an unevolved Chinchou becomes an incredibly bulky pivot. It utilizes abilities like voltabsorb and waterabsorb to switch into targeted attacks safely. If you are building a team with Mienfoo or Vullaby, pressing the B button to cancel the Level 27 evolution is highly recommended.

Following the gameplay engine established by its predecessor, Pokémon Legends: Z-A removes the automatic evolution screen that interrupts gameplay. Reaching Level 27 will simply prompt a notification on your HUD.

This manual system is incredibly beneficial for players who want to keep Chinchou in its base form for specific tactical advantages without wasting an inventory slot on an Everstone. You control exactly when the transformation happens.

1. Keep Chinchou in your active party and gain experience through catching Pokémon or battling trainers in the Lumiose City sectors.
2. Wait for the on-screen prompt indicating that Chinchou is ready to evolve upon hitting Level 27.
3. Open your main satchel menu and navigate to your party.
4. Select the flashing Poké Ball icon next to Chinchou.
5. Press the designated button to confirm and watch the evolution animation.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, reaching Level 27 takes mere minutes if you utilize the Paldean Tera Raid system. Grinding wild encounters is viable, but consuming experience items is the optimal route.

Farming 3-Star Tera Raids yields a high amount of EXP Candy M. Feeding these directly to your Pokémon bypasses the need for standard grinding entirely.

1. Open your bag and select your stack of EXP Candy M or Rare Candies.
2. Apply them to Chinchou until the summary screen displays Level 27.
3. If using candies, the evolution screen will trigger immediately upon closing the bag.
4. If you are at Level 26 and prefer battling, place Chinchou in the lead slot and defeat a high-level wild Pokémon in the Paldean Sea to cross the threshold.

Keep in mind that evolving alters your base stats significantly. If you plan to use this Pokémon in higher tiers as a Lanturn, equipping heavydutyboots or choicespecs will maximize its new potential.

Hitting Level 27 does not always guarantee an evolution. Several modern game mechanics and held items can actively block the process, leaving players confused.

The most common culprit in Generation 9 is the Let's Go auto-battle feature. Chinchou will not evolve if it reaches Level 27 while defeating wild Pokémon via the R-button auto-battle system. To fix this, you must initiate a standard, turn-based battle and gain experience, or simply feed it one Rare Candy.

• The Everstone issue: If you bred your Chinchou to inherit specific natures for an LC team, you might have left an Everstone attached. Remove it from the summary screen and level up once more.
• Accidental cancellation: Pressing the B button during the evolution animation instantly halts the process. You will need to reach Level 28 to trigger it again.
• Union Circle sync issues: Rarely, leveling up during intense co-op lag in Scarlet and Violet can delay the screen. Restarting the game and gaining one more level resolves this.

In Pokémon GO, the traditional leveling system does not exist. Evolving Chinchou requires exactly 50 Chinchou Candy. There are no walking distance requirements or special Lure Modules needed.

To farm these candies efficiently, use Pinap Berries on every wild encounter to double your yield. Setting Chinchou as your Buddy Pokémon will also generate one candy for every 3 kilometers walked.

Once you accumulate 50 candies, open the Pokémon's summary page and tap the Evolve button. The CP (Combat Power) will scale based on the base stats of the newly evolved Lanturn.

Before finalizing the evolution, you must evaluate your competitive goals. Evolving into Lanturn grants higher base HP and Special Attack, making it a decent choice for lower-tier standard play. However, keeping it as Chinchou offers unique advantages in the LC tier.

An unevolved Chinchou with an eviolite outclasses Lanturn in relative tier bulk. It effectively walls common threats by absorbing Water and Electric attacks via waterabsorb or voltabsorb. It then maintains momentum by utilizing voltswitch or flipturn to bring in heavy hitters safely.

If you face aggressive LC threats like Impidimp or Elekid, an unevolved Chinchou provides the necessary defensive backbone. However, be extremely wary of Diglett-Alola, Foongus, and Stunky, which can easily trap or counter it. Equip a choicescarf for surprise speed, or stick to defensive play with scald and thunderwave.